The Lucan Sarsfields club have set the standard in Dublin club camogie in recent years so for the Naomh Olaf girls taking them on in the Minor B league last Sunday presented an imposing challenge.

Losing the toss, the Naomh Olaf girls were playing with a diagonal wind in their favour. Two early points for the Sandyford girls helped settle the nerves and gave the girls the belief that they could compete on equal terms. They then followed up with another two points to extend the lead to four. Then Lucan dug deep to score 1-1 leaving it all square. The Naomh Olaf girls came back to record a further 1:1 but Lucan hit a purple patch, scoring two goals, to leave the score 1:5 to 3:1 to Lucan at the break. Having been the better team for most of the opening half, the girls did not deserve to be behind. Each and every girl was asked to win their own battle with their marker and the first ten minutes of the second half produced a titanic battle as both sides went after the first score. It was the Naomh Olaf team, however, who smashed the ball to the back of the Lucan net to open a one point lead .

Fighting tooth and nail to retain their lead, another goal after five minutes settled the nerves of the Balally girls. Losing full back and captain Sarah Smyth to injury forced positional switches. The girls were out on their feet but giving it their all they put in superb individual and team performances in a last quarter in which they added 2:2 to Lucan's 0:2. Final score: Naomh Olaf 5-7, Lucan Sarsfields 3-3.

A lot of sore and jaded bodies but 18 smiling faces after a great battling game of camogie.